Chapter 11: A Journey Into Darkness
1983 A.D. Angkor Thom Region, Cambodia
"The Ancient's influence was incredible. From all walks of life to all parts of the world, their tendrils crept and wrought their insidious damage. Their prisons decayed constantly as their Guardian's work continued. I discovered a mention of a breakthrough in satellite RADAR imaging that revealed the presence of a hitherto unknown temple mound in the Angkor Thom region of Cambodia. An archaeologist of some repute, Dr. Edwin Lindsey, took it upon himself to investigate the area, to reveal the secrets of history. Unfortunately, the local government at the time thought differently, requiring that Lindsey find other means into the country, and to finance the expedition. He found these in Paul Augustine, a collector of rare items, who professed an interest in the discovery and agreed to help. After a dysentery-riddled two weeks venture, Lindsey and Augustine located the remains of an ancient city temple, dating back to the twelfth century."
The two men walked into the temple, examining the area. "Yes, this is it," Lindsey said softly, walking forward. "It has to be. I hadn't expected the information to pan out, but here it is… The satellite data was correct!" He walked over to a nearby pillar, examining the ancient stone it was made of.
Paul Augustine, his face an unusual gray color, looked around the room with tinted glasses. "For years, I have searched for it without success. Here, all along clouded from us beneath the Great Ancient's insidious magick. I am very pleased with your performance, Dr. Lindsey… Very pleased…" Lindsey looked up from the pillar, growing suspicious. "In fact… so pleased, that I will give you an early bonus."
Lindsey spun around and saw the gun in Augustine's hand. Reacting on instincts, he punched him in the face, knocking the older man to the ground. The archaeologist ran behind a pillar, pulling out his Colt pistol. Augustine fired twice, but the bullets slammed into the stone pillar. Stepping out from behind his cover, Lindsey pulled the trigger once and hit the double-crosser in the arm. Unbelievably, Augustine seemed to be unfazed by the attack.
"My God!" Lindsey muttered under his breath, hiding behind the pillar once more. He ran from it to a pillar even further away, barely dodging two more shots. When Augustine spoke again, his voice changed, becoming deeper and stronger.
"You are a scholar, Dr. Lindsey, not a warrior. In that regard I have several centuries more experience than you…" Augustine walked into the center of the four pillars, being carefully watched by the archaeologist. "Don't be a fool. Die quietly, and you will not suffer."
Lindsey fired at his opponent again, and he was surprised when his appearance changed. His skin was ravaged, and he wore black armor like that of an ancient Roman soldier. "You cannot escape me, Lindsey! This place will be your tomb, just as it is Mantorok's!" Behind him, a stone door rose up, revealing a terrifying creature. Its head looked like a human skull, and a scythe-like blade, most likely its tail, rose up over its head from its back. "Guardians of Chattur'gha! Kill him!" The monster, a Gatekeeper, spread its wings and let out an inhuman shriek as Augustine walked through the doorway.
Swapping the Colt for his shotgun, Lindsey waited behind the pillar until the creature drew near before jumping out and firing at it. The bullets slammed into its chest at full force, and it fell to the ground. The archaeologist pulled out his Kukri, a type of machete, and impaled it into the Gatekeeper. He pulled it out, looking at the closed doorway that Augustine went through.
He must be after something in the temple. I'm not going to let that double-crosser get to it before I do!
He reloaded the Remington M-870 and Colt M1911 before crouching down near the middle of the room. A thin layer of dirt covered part of the floor, catching his attention. Lindsey pulled out his brush and carefully brushed the dirt off the floor. Underneath was a strange carving with indentation filled with colored sand, and a bronze bracelet lying in the middle of the carvings. He picked up the bracelet and walked over to the statue of a four-armed deity in the room. On one of its arms and around its neck were flecks of bronze, suggesting that jewelry had once been there. Lindsey placed the bracelet on the arm with the bronze flecks, and a door to his left opened.
Pretty clever. Put the bracelet on the correct arm, and it opens a doorway. The Khmer must've been pretty concerned about security in this temple, though I wonder why.
He holstered his pistol and slung the shotgun over his back, pulling out the Kukri. If there were any more of those creatures around the temple, he would need to conserve his ammo. He never expected to be attacked during his journey, so he didn't bring that many boxes of ammo with him.
"Boy, and some people thought being an archaeologist was boring…"
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Alex sat at the desk while Danielle sat on its surface, peering down at the Tome. Suddenly, the spirit of their grandfather appeared next to them. Alex noticed a surprised look on Danielle's face, but she seemed to be at a loss for words. "Remember me, Alex?" Edward asked.
Alex looked up into his loving face, her voice almost a whisper. "How could I forget you, Grandpa? You've almost meant the most to me. Ever since… Ever since my parents died…" She noticed the sympathetic look on Danielle's face, and Alex quickly averted her gaze.
"Yes… Ever since they were killed… You've been my little girl…" Edward said, putting a hand on her shoulder. An icy chill spread from where his hand touched her bare arm. "Yes… My little girl…" Alex looked up at him, just as he slowly faded away.
"I'm sorry about them, Alex," Danielle said quietly, obviously talking about their parents.
"It's all right. You don't have anything to be sorry for." Danielle looked like she wanted to say something else, but she couldn't get the words out. She merely looked back down at the Tome, a saddened expression on her face.
She never knew Mom and Dad, Alex thought. It's no wonder she doesn't know what to say. Poor kid…
Alex sighed and looked back down at the Tome, reading the page once more.
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In the Hands of Kali
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"Tier, Aretak, Ulyaoth…" An Ulyaoth rune appeared in the air a few inches off the ground, and a Trapper jumped through it. Lindsey felt as if he was the Trapper, and it was very disorientating. He made it walk through the hole in the wall and into a large room with a wooden bride over an abyss and two Chattur'gha Horrors on either side. The Trapper walked across the bridge and over to a strange purple symbol on the floor. As it stepped on the symbol, a door behind Lindsey opened up. He blinked a few times, noticing that he was no longer linked with the Trapper.
"I guess you have to keep focused in order to maintain control over it. Interesting…"
He looked at where the door once was and saw a purple rune sitting in the alcove. There was a strange feeling about it, like it emanated some great power. He picked it up, and the rune vanished. He figured it was now in the Tome, like all of the other runes and codices he found.
There came a loud roar from behind him, and the wall that had blocked the way into the area with the switch was blown outwards. One of the reddish Chattur'gha Horrors roared, electricity crackling around it. Lindsey took his shotgun in hand and fired. The blast hit the beast dead-on, but didn't kill it. He stepped backwards, pumping the shotgun and firing again. The Horror roared in pain and lashed out with its claws, swiping through the air just centimeters in front of his face. If it attacked again, Lindsey wouldn't survive this time. He opened fire, flecks of blood landing on his face as the bullets tore through the Horror. It fell to the ground, dead.
Lindsey wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead, looking through the doorway. The Trapper from earlier was roaming around, and he heard the second Horror's heavy breathing. This wouldn't be easy. He took out his Colt and aimed carefully, firing off two shots. The first one knocked a chip of the stone floor off into the pit, while the second bullet hit it in its body. Instead of wasting ammo fighting a creature he could just dodge, he ran across the wooden bridge and past the Horror, brushing some webs off another codex.
He could hear the bolt of magickal lightning shoot towards him, so Lindsey jumped out of the way, barely dodging the attack. He bolted across the bridge and ran out into the stone corridor, taking deep breaths. That was too close for comfort… Hopefully, the return trip to the lower levels of the temple wouldn't be so bad.
Lindsey had encountered barely any resistance by the time he reached the last room he had visited earlier. The magickal barrier over the other door was still there, and like the earlier one he encountered, it vanished when he approached it. Inside was an unbelievable large room. A large, writhing mass of purple flesh, eyes, and mouths dominated the middle of the room. A stone walkway was built around it, and large pillars seemed to be stuck in its flesh.
"Just like on those murals… This place really is Mantorok's tomb…" he whispered to himself while walking up some stone steps for a closer look. That was when he was aware of someone behind him. He turned around, staring at Paul Augustine in his true form flanked by two Gatekeepers.
"The power of Mantorok is not easily controlled!"
"What makes you think I want to control it?" Lindsey shot back, trying to form a plan in his mind.
Augustine laughed. "Arrogant man!" He pointed his staff at him, shouting, "Kill him! And make sure you succeed this time!" The two Gatekeepers spread their wings and started towards Lindsey. Suddenly, a wave of purple energy shot out from behind Lindsey, presumably from the statue there, and hit Augustine and his fiends. The Gatekeepers were instantly disintegrated, and Augustine fell to his knees.
Using his staff to stand up, he glared weakly at Lindsey, red light forming in a circle around him. "The Darkness shall prevail!" he managed to say before he vanished. Lindsey turned back to face Mantorok, noticing a purple light floating towards the door past Mantorok. It opened up, allowing him to enter. He took out his torch and lit it, staring in awe at the Great Ancient. He had never encountered such a creature in all of his life.
Actually, I've never encountered any of the monsters in here in my life… This has got to be the worst. But it looks like it's on my side. It would probably be best if I hurried up and left…
He walked around the stone path and through the doorway, wondering what was on the other side.
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Daughter of Light
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Lindsey held the torch out in front of him as he walked forward, looking around the small room. There didn't appear to be any visible exit, so he would have to backtrack to the surface. He was about to go back when he noticed the rotted corpse of a girl, her clothes tattered and dirty. It hung in the arms of a four-armed statue. He approached it, trying to get a closer look. The clothes appeared to be what the Khmer people wore long ago… But how did this girl wind up in a place like this?
As he approached, the corpse's eyes glowed with an eerie white light. "Do not touch the heart, flesh and bone, lest you become like me, a dead, rotted husk."
To say Lindsey was surprised was an understatement. He jumped back a bit with wide eyes, listening to the girl talk. "I have waited many years for you. It was not easy hiding from the dark ones as they searched for me. At first, they passed by not thinking that the heart was inside my dead body, but I was forced to find refuge here. You must seal the heart so it never contacts your flesh, and take it to the Gathering of Light." In his mind's eye, he saw the image of a large stone house with a sign in front that said "Roivas" on it. "Take the heart there or the world shall fall under a reign of Eternal Darkness!"
Suddenly, she began to move, body and eyes glowing with a purple light. "The veil of reality can only be pulled back so far, mortal! Take your stand, and fight the darkness!" She reached for her chest and pulled out a black heart that was much larger than an average human's heart. It floated to the ground as the girl's body disintegrated. Lindsey stared down at it, knowing what he had to do.
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Edward Roivas raised an eyebrow curiously after Dr. Lindsey told the story of what happened in the temple. "She told you to bring it here, you say?"
Lindsey nodded, placing the glass container Heart of Mantorok in Edward's hands. "I believe you could keep it safer from the Ancients then what I could." He turned around, walking out of the library.
With a sigh, Edward walked over to one of his bookshelfs. There was a secret compartment behind one of the books, which he had put there not too long ago just in case he needed to keep something safe. And now was that time. He placed the Essence in the compartment and slid a book over it. It did stick out, but no one would think of even reading such a strange book. Edward stared at the title, "The Demon and the Khmer" for a second before he walked away.